Dubai Duty Free half year sales up to $537m

2008 promises to be a memorable year for Dubai Duty Free, which began operations on December 20th 1983, when it expects sales to pass the $1bn milestone.

Commenting on the first half sales figures, Colm McLoughlin, Managing Director of Dubai Duty Free said:

"We are well on track to exceed $1bn and that is a great achievement for all involved. There are many exciting things lined up for the operation during the rest of this year, which will culminate on our anniversary day on December 20th."

Included in the activities is the move to Dubai Duty Free's brand new Warehouse and Distribution Centre in Ramoul which began operations in June and will become the centralized warehouse and distribution centre for the operation. Featuring a semi-automated retrieval and storage system, the 27,000 square metre facility is the largest of its kind in the Middle East.

Located next to the Warehouse and Distribution Centre is Dubai Duty Free's new head office, which covers an area of some 6,000 square metres and features ample office space, training facilities and a purpose-built auditorium. The move to the new head office has already begun and will continue over the coming weeks.

In preparation for the new airport expansion at Dubai International Airport, Dubai Duty Free has increased its staffing levels by 50% in recent months to the current 3,000. The opening of Concourse 2 and Terminal 3 will result in an additional 10,000 square metres of retail space for Dubai Duty Free.

"The past year has seen the operation gear-up for the great plans ahead and we are looking forward to seeing these come to fruition," added Mr. McLoughlin. "In the meantime, the sales are running at around 31% ahead of last year which include significant increases in categories across the board."

Topping the sales category list at Dubai Duty Free is Perfumes, which rose by 34% in the first half of this year to $75m, while Gold retained its No.3 slot with sales of $62m representing a 40% increase over 2007. Other notable increases in sales were seen in Electronics, which rose by 28%, Confectionery which rose by 38% and Cosmetics with an increase of 39% over the same period last year.